north carolina, virginia, and maryland declared emergencies today, as the hurricane approached with winds of 135 miles an hour. the big storm, seen from the international space station, was still 700 miles off cape hatteras, north carolina, late today, but evacuations were under way along the exposed outer banks. >> when they said they wanted the visitors to leave today from hatteras, we decided the best thing to do for the locals is get out of the way. >> lehrer: the state's beaches were already empty, buildings were being boarded up, and some people worried they were overdue for disaster. >> people feel it's time for the big one. >> lehrer: forecasters still expected early to turn north as it reaches the outer banks late tomorrow or early friday. the projected track then takes it parallel up the coast. as a result, the national hurricane center issued a hurricane warning for most of the north carolina coast and a hurricane watch extended to delaware. the coast guard again flyovers along the eastern seaboard warning shimz at sea of the coming danger. >> the hurricane will impact the coas